With people returning to the State capital from their native places in Andhra Pradesh after the long weekend of public holidays, heavy traffic was registered at Korlapahad toll plaza at Kethepally and Panthangi toll plaza at Choutuppal in the district, the two gates to the city on NH-65 (Vijayawada-Hyderabad) on Monday evening.
According to an official, the queue length went up to 200 metres from the ticket point between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., even after sufficent measures were in place. The long holiday which started early with Dussehra festivities lasted till Gandhi Jayanthi on Monday, and the rush was at peaks with people flocking back to the city as offices open from Tuesday. The toll plazas which tax about 14,000-odd vehicles on a daily basis would see a rise by almost 50%, to about 21, 000 vehicles from the Vijayawada direction. Both the managers of the toll plazas said four more lanes were opened to motorists, in addition to the usual five-lane system. “Another three lanes have been opened, plus two hand-held machines will be used to ensure smooth traffic flow,” an official said.
The visibly high vehicular rush, however, would come down to few numbers by 8.30 p.m., and would take another hour longer at the Choutuppal point, officials estimated. The police bandobust at the toll plazas was also tightened owing to the traffic movement, and all precautions were being ensured said Choutuppal Circle Inspector S. Naveen Kumar.
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Traffic was also high, within a short time, due to the wet road conditions from continuous rainfall across parts of the district, officials opined.